The Best of Intensions
by KSTapp
Summary: Follows on from the end of Season Two. Fleabag and the Priest were not meant to stay apart. When another Family event forces them together, the pull of their attraction is too much to stay apart. Especially when there's more than a little assistance pushing them back together.
1. Chapter 1

THE BEST OF INTENSIONS

It hadn't been my intension to come back here. He had, after all asked me not to. But it seemed that God, or at least Godmother had other plains. Personally I was certain that the moment I set foot in the church, I would be struck by lightning.

It turned out that it wasn't enough for Godmother (there was no way in hell I was calling her Mum) to marry our Father. No, she also wanted a child (adopted of course) of her own. (Probably because Claire and I refused to call her Mum.) Not to mention hiring someone to do the actual Mothering.

So here we are, all gathered at the church for the christening. Since I'm not one of the Godparents, I could probably sit at the back of the church. Less noticeable if lightning is to strike. Perhaps he won't see me. Maybe he will see and be happy about it.

I sit next to a redhead who seems to be intently focused on the bible. Not the usual attendee that I had gotten used to. She had four inch stilettos on which only made the legs resting up on the pew in front seem longer. She was of average height and dressed in a purple suit complete with a short skirt and pale pink top.

For a moment I wondered if she was a friend of Godmother's but somehow she seemed to be too classy and not weird. The service starts and the redhead looks up briefly before going back to the bible. Wait a minute. She's got two books. Another book on top of the bible. I wonder what she's really reading.

Just as I'm about to lean closer to find out what the book is, Martin walks in and chooses our pew to sit in. No idea why he's even here, but he can go and sit somewhere else. When he tries to shuffle past to sit on the other side of the redhead, she shoots him a look that could strip paint. That's when I notice the service has stopped.

Everyone is looking in shock at Martin. Clearly he wasn't invited. So like him to crash a christening. Everyone except for the Priest who is staring straight at me. I can't tell if he's shocked, angry or happy to see me. Then he glances at the redhead who has looked up from her book to watch the Priest and me.

She seems to form an opinion and goes back to reading her book. The Priest goes back to the service and Claire is angrily gesturing to Martin to go and sit on the other side of the church. I guess she is still trying to get him to sign the divorce papers. At least Marin didn't bring his creepy son with him. The rest of the service goes smoothly apart from a couple of moments when the redhead sniggers at whatever she's reading and the Priest shakes his head in amusement at her.

Oh God! She's here with him. Wait, why can't I have him because he chose God? How is it he can have both her and God? I haven't even gone back to the lawyer. I didn't want anyone after the Priest. What did she have that I didn't? Probably more what she didn't have. A shit load of personal baggage for starters.

The ceremony finishes and the redhead slips her book into her handbag and leaves the bible on the pew. I on the other hand, try to make a run for it. Unfortunately Dad picks this moment for a chat. I can't help myself watching over Dad's shoulder as the redhead walks up to the Priest at the front of the church as though it's a catwalk and plants a kiss on his cheek. He seems to be using her as a barrier to keep Godmother at a safe distance. This would all be hysterically funny if I wasn't feeling as though my heart was being ripped from my chest.

He whispers something in her ear which prompts her to glance back at me. Could he be telling her about me? One thing's for certain, Godmother does not like it when she's not the centre of attention. She passes my baby, damn it, did she adopt a boy or a girl? She passes my sibling off to the help and storms up the aisle. Dad excuses himself to follow her out of the church. Well, the only thing that hasn't happened is being struck by lightning. Martin's being forcefully ushered out of the church. Perhaps my luck is changing.

"Hello." Crap, maybe not. He's right in front of me. With her.

"Hi. Sorry. Tried to stay out of the church, but family event so couldn't get out of it." Why is the redhead watching me while I babble?

"It's fine." I can see it's not. "I see Martin hasn't changed."

"No, but we keep praying for that miracle." Why can't this be the moment the ground opens up and swallows me whole?

"Well, he always hears our prayers. Sometimes he just doesn't answer the way we want him to." I wish he wouldn't smile understandingly at me like that. "This is Siobhan." Great, I'm being introduced to the new girlfriend.

"Hi." This is beyond awkward. Although she seems to be taking this whole circus in her stride.

"Hello." Funny. She has a slight Irish twang, just like the Priest. "Do your family gatherings always get this exciting?"

"Oh well, the fist fight hasn't broken out yet." It's strange. I don't feel as though she's judging me. Shouldn't she be judging me? "It's not a party unless someone goes home with a bloody nose or a black eye. In some cases both." Oh God I should really stop talking.

"Sounds a bit like my family." She squeezes his hand. "I'll see you outside." She smiles at me and it's like I'm basking in the glow of an angle. "It was a pleasure meeting you." And then she's gone.

"So how have you been?" He actually seems interested. But then I guess that is part of his job.

"Fine." That's a lie. I miss him. I'm dying here because all I want to do is drag him into the confession box and rip those robes off. Even though they are his favourite robes. The purple ones. The ones he went to Rome to get.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be here today. I hoped you would be, but I wasn't sure if you would be after I asked you not to come here." God I love that uncertain smile of his.

"Well, Hell would have to freeze over before I would be allowed to miss this." Wait, what? He hoped I'd be here?

"I missed you." No, no, no. This was not happening. I'm dreaming and I seriously need to wake up. "I thought I could go back to how it was before I met you. My Sister even noticed the difference over the phone."

"You have a Sister?" He has a Sister? I knew he had a Brother but not a Sister.

"Siobhan." Wait! She's his Sister? When did he get a Sister?

"That model is your Sister" Well that explained the accent. "You never mentioned her before. That was probably because you were too busy telling me we weren't going to have sex."

"She's not a model. Actually she's a marriage counsellor." Of course she was. "And I believed what I was saying when I told you we weren't going to have sex. Until I realised I was wrong."

"So what do we do now?" This had to be a dream. Although why I'd created a Sister is beyond me.

"There has to be a way where I don't have to choose that works for you as well." Ok, so he's put some thought into this but hasn't come up with a definite plan yet. "My Sister's looking into some possibilities for me while she's visiting." I'm really liking this Sister even if she is a figment of my imagination.

"I've missed you too." So much that I'm apparently hallucinating. "And I'm sorry about the fox." In my defence, I had only told the fox what direction he had gone in. It wasn't as though I had given it an address.

"That was you!" Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned the fox. "It kept stopping and staring at me with sad eyes all the way home. I thought it was going to start crying." He's funny when he gets all worked up over foxes.

"Well, you had chosen God over me and told me I couldn't come back to the church." So I might have been a wee bit vindictive. "Telling me that you loved me really didn't soften the blow."

"I do love you." When did he get closer? "You're not just in my prayers. You're in my dreams. I can't stop thinking about you." If this is a hallucination then it's a fabulous one because his kisses are turning me into a giant puddle.

We break apart to gasp for a breath. I'm sure a painting is going to fall off of the wall to warn us this is a bad idea, but it doesn't. "Father!" Of course Godmother has to interrupt the moment. "We must get the baby home. Will we see you for dinner? You really must bring your Sister."

"I'll talk it over with Siobhan and let you know." Nice. It's non-committal. He can use his Sister as an excuse to not go without hurting Godmother's feelings.

"We'll see you both at six." Or she could just not take no for an answer. Thankfully she's far enough away that she doesn't notice that most of my lipstick is now on the Priest's face. Even better she leaves the church.

"I suppose I'd better warn Siobhan." He chuckles. "Will I see you there?" He's looking at me as though I'm the only thing that will make dinner bearable. Like I'm his lifeline.

"Yes. I've already been told that short of death or dismemberment, no excuse will be accepted for not showing up." I find a clean tissue and wipe my lipstick from his face. "I guess I'll see you tonight." I'm really tempted to steal another kiss, but I know it won't stop there. I want him to be sure before I hand over my heart again. So instead I walk out the door.

This is a beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

Family Dinner

This has to be a miracle. For the first time in forever, I'm actually looking forward to having dinner with my family. Well, my family, a Priest and his Sister. I can't help but wonder what he has told his Sister about me. Does she know that we had sex?

I don't want to get my hopes up that this could go anywhere good. Especially since I had high hopes the last time only to be dumped twice at the bus stop. I think I need to take the bus less. I guess if nothing else I can be friends with his Sister.

Apart from Martin refusing to sign the divorce papers in some misguided attempt to get Claire back, my relationship with my family (not including Godmother) is actually reasonably good. Claire and Klare are happy together. Dad seems to be coping well despite being a Dad again. I guess having help was part of it. Also I doubt Godmother considered his opinion or even asked for it. All in all, we're getting on with it.

I wear the red sundress I know that he likes. It's only dinner at my Father's house so I'm sure it will be sufficient to keep Godmother from sneering at me. God only knows what she's going to say when she finds out that I have carnal knowledge of her Priest.

Although I have a sneaking suspicion when she seats Siobhan between the Priest and myself that she suspects something is going on. Claire and Klare are sitting opposite us and oblivious to anyone but each other. Even though I'm envious of them, I am glad to see Claire so happy.

It's only when Godmother leaves the room to get the first course that I realise just how much Siobhan (who is still resembling a model in another chic outfit) is going to be a Godsend. I may have to reconsider my relationship with God. "We need to switch places otherwise we'll keep bumping elbows." She is effectively moving out from between her Brother and me. "My Brother's left handed and I'm right handed." She's smiling sweetly at Dad. I'm sure he's not left handed but she has given us an alibi with my Dad.

Godmother spots the switch as soon as she gets back and she is not happy. "The Father is left handed Darling, so he needed to switch so that he and Siobhan won't bump elbows. " Nice work Dad. Godmother didn't even get a chance to insist that we switch back and Siobhan has the most innocent expression on her face.

The first course is served and the Priest is using his left hand. Mostly because his right hand is busy making its way up my leg. "So what's the age difference between the two of you?" Best try to make pleasant conversation before his fingers reach their destination.

"We're twins." So Siobhan is clearly going to do the bulk of the talking tonight as the Priest, to the casual observer is very intent on his meal. Wow! Jackpot! We have contact! That man is very gifted with his fingers and there is no way that he is left handed.

"But you don't look anything alike." Godmother is stunned given they are male and female twins instead of same sex twins; she can't comprehend how they could be twins and look so different.

"We fractural twins, not identical twins." Siobhan passes me a glass of water as a sound escapes me that I hope passes as a hiccup. "I look like Mum and Deacon looks like Dad." She's good. She doesn't miss a beat. Wait, his name is Deacon?

"Are you not hungry Darling?" Of all the times my Father has to be observant, it's when I'm gripping the sides of my chair trying not to scream out in ecstasy.

"Big lunch." It's a struggle to get the words out especially with the Priest smiling smugly beside me. I manage a couple of bites before the second course is served and his fingers leave my body.

Siobhan keeps the conversation going at an easy pace although I'm sure she knows her Brother is up to something. Every now and again I notice a mischievous look pass between them. "How long are visiting for?" I find Siobhan's timing interesting. Although if this dinner is anything to go by I wouldn't mind her hanging around for a lot longer.

"My husband's working overseas at the moment, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to catch up with my Brother." Doesn't really answer my question but I get the impression it's as long as needed.

"What does your husband do?" Finally Claire's stopped staring at Klare and joined the conversation.

"He's basically Superman. He flies around the world helping those who need it." Another response that doesn't really tell us anything.

"How fascinating." Godmother isn't at all interested. "Perhaps he's met Kiran's birth Mother." Clearly none of us know who Kiran is. Perhaps it's one of her interesting slash weird friends. "Your baby Brother." Oh she adopted a boy. At least that answers one question.

"Perhaps." This is the first sign that I've seen that Siobhan detests Godmother. It's very slight and could easily be my imagination, but it's a tiny clenching of her jaw. "So I understand you run a cafe that has a guinea pig theme." And once again the attention is on me.

"Yes but I may have to update it to guinea pig and hamster theme. I was given a hamster by someone who thought it was a guinea pig." This is going to be the longest dinner ever; especially considering his hand is back on my knee.

"Yes, my Stepdaughter has a lot of boyfriends." And Godmother is off again with the barely veiled insults. "She goes through them like nobody's business." She's struggling not to call me a whore or a slut.

"It's nice to be popular." Thank you Siobhan. "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"

"I haven't seen anyone in a while. The cafe has been keeping me busy." At least I have the opportunity to explain the gaping hole in my love life. "It appears word got out about chatty Wednesdays." He's just squeezed my knee.

"Sounds wonderful Darling." Dad still has selective hearing that's good. "How did you come up with the concept?"

"I noticed there were a lot of lonely people out there and the art of conversation is dying out due to technology. So I sort of killed two birds with one stone." Oh God his hand is on the move again.

"Are you alright?" Claire is being observant damn it. "You look flushed."

"It's just hot in here." And getting hotter by the moment. Perhaps I should just claim to be ill so that I can escape this dinner.

"Perhaps you're coming down with something." It's just as well Godmother can't see what her favourite Priest is up to. In a few seconds I'll definitely be coming.

"Why don't we take you home?" He moves his chair back from the table. Damn it, he's left me hanging. "We don't want the baby to get ill."

"I think you're right." Great Siobhan is leaving the table as well. "Let's get her home."

"Surely you don't all have to go." Godmother's devastated that nobody wants to be at her dinner party. Mainly because the food is terrible. Not that I've eaten much.

"We should be going too." Claire and Klare get up from the table as well. "We are flying back to Finland first thing."

"But you haven't had dessert." No doubt it's some inappropriately sculptured cake that she considers artistic.

"You should go if you're not feeling well, Darling." Thankfully Dad is being understanding. "Would you please make sure she gets home alright Father?" I think Dad has had enough of today's festivities. He squeezes my hand. "Feel better Darling."

"Thanks Dad." Best to escape while we can. Claire and Klare have already crept out the door while Dad has unwittingly created a distraction.

Once we're outside I hear Godmother shriek of rage which wakes up the baby. "You're not really left handed are you?"

"No but my Sister thinks fast and I do enjoy a challenge." I'm guessing he means the challenge of keeping his right hand busy.

"So why didn't you mention you had a twin Sister?" It seems an odd thing to keep a secret especially since I know about his Brother. That had slipped out at the last family dinner we had together.

"Oh, you must know about our Brother then." Siobhan doesn't seem bothered by the oversight. Perhaps my family have made her grateful that they don't know about her.

"I believe he was mentioned at a family dinner and something about irony." So this is linked with the Brother.

"Well, usually I'm the sibling Deacon admits to being related to." Wow, this woman is the most Zen person I've ever met. Nothing seems to throw her. "If our Brother is mentioned then I'm not so that I'm not tarnished by association."

"And that doesn't bother you?" I don't want to start the sibling rivalry that I so enjoy with my Sister, but I would be offended if Claire avoided mentioning me. Even if it is in distain.

"No." She even shrugs elegantly. "Deacon protects me from the judgment of others even if he is misguided in his attempts." We've reached the church. "Well, I'll tell Pam you're looking in on a sick parishioner and I'll see you tomorrow." Wait, should I be taking a bus home while the Father goes to visit his sick parishioner?

"Thanks Sis." He kisses her cheek. "See you in the morning." He's holding my hand and walking in the direction of my place. "Come on. Let's get you safely home." Oh, I'm the sick parishioner.

"You know just because you felt me up at the dinner table, doesn't guarantee you're going to get lucky tonight." But he probably will.

"Fair enough." He knows he's going to get lucky. "So Siobhan is going to help me look into other possible careers and if there are some courses I need to take to actually do them."

"So you're serious about giving up being a Priest?" Wow.

"Yes." God I could get lost in those eyes when he gives me that intense look. "I love you and God but being a Priest only allows me to love God. The thing is that I'm in love with you and being away from you doesn't allow me to concentrate on my sermons or the parish news letters or sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Not sure what sleeping has to do with church, but he seems to be on a roll.

"All of my dreams are of you." Oh God he's doing that licking his lips thing. "My sermons end up being taken from the parts of the bible I marked for you so I end up losing my train of thought as I'm giving my sermons and everyone at the service ends up confused." Wow, he really loves me.

"Well, here we are." I unlock the door. I'm genuinely torn between inviting him in to finish what he started at the dinner table and holding out until I'm sure he's not going to change his mind and choose God again.

"Here we are." He's looking at me as though he's reading my mind. "I'm not going to let you go again. I'm not even sure I can. If you want me to go though, I will." I had not expected that.

"I don't want you to go, but I can't have another heart breaking conversation at the bus stop with you." I do have some self respect. Still, this isn't a bus stop either. And he's giving me that look while waiting for me to make a decision. Before I can second guess myself, I'm dragging him inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Where Do We Go From Here?

I've been here before. I'm hoping for a different outcome this time around. We should talk, but I have the feeling that we need his Sister to mediate to get a result that both of us would be happy with.

"What?" He hasn't even opened his eyes. "What are you thinking?" How does he do that? How does he know I'm awake and thinking?

"That we need to talk." I didn't really want to talk. I wanted to repeat last night again. It wasn't like Mr Nine Times. It was better because despite any attempts at getting my feelings to fade, I was still in love with him

"I resigned yesterday." Wow, I hadn't expected that. "I do need to find somewhere to live and I may need to take some night classes to update my credentials to be a councillor." When he had said he was getting his Sister to help him work out what he needed for other job opportunities, I thought it was something she was going to do. Not something that was already in progress.

"Is that what you want?" It's what I wanted but I didn't want him resenting me later.

"Actually it's what I was going to do before I decided to become a Priest." I did not know that. "The outfits aren't as great but it's still something I'm qualified to do and I can still help people."

"Well perhaps you can change that." This is actually happening. I don't know what to do. I had spent so much time bracing myself for another brush off.

"You don't think it might put some people off?" Oh God he's kissing my shoulder and working his way up my neck. We are never leaving this bed ever again. Only bad things happen when we get out of bed.

"I think there are plenty of women who would willingly spill their guts to you if it meant they could spend an hour in a room alone with you. " Hell, Godmother could barely spend five minutes in a crowded room with him before she was finding a reason to put her hands on him.

He's chuckling into my neck which is ensuring that we are not leaving this bed in a hurry.

The only reason I ended up getting out of bed two hours later is because I had to open up the cafe. He mentions something about rescuing his Sister from Pam, but from what little I know about Siobhan, I figure she can hold her own.

It's a couple of hours after opening the cafe that the Priest (I guess I can't call him that anymore), and his Sister walk in and sit down at an empty table. They look as though they're looking through the classifieds. Could this actually be happening? I still don't want to get my hopes up in case this is a dream.

Turns out they've been looking at places for him to move into. I think about asking him to move in with me, but then I think it might be too soon. Also I need a backup plan in case he decides God is the way to go after all. I want to believe I have a chance with him. But past experience has taught me not to hope too much.

"Where did you just go?" Busted! How does he keeping catching me do that? No one in my family ever notices.

"Nowhere." I really need to be careful about doing that around these two. Neither one of them seems to miss much.

"Interesting." Oh God she's in councillor mode. "In all fairness though Deacon, you talk to someone nobody can see as well." Great, now the spotlight is on her Brother.

"Are you referring to me talking to God?" His Sister amuses him but I can't help wondering what the conversation must have been like when he decided to become a Priest.

"Yes it's not really that different." She orders Earl Grey tea and goes back to circling ads in the newspaper. I'm left wondering what he's told his Sister about me.

They work comfortably together until he goes and gets Hillary out of her cage. She seems happy to see him. Since it's a bit quiet at the moment I decide to join them. "So how's the house hunting going?"

"Not too bad." Siobhan reaches over and pats Hillary. "Deacon wants to stay in this general area despite his issues with the foxes." She chuckles. "It's interesting that they started bothering you around the time you decided to become a Priest."

"I thought it was your way of keeping an eye on me in the beginning." He glances at his Sister affectionately. "Wouldn't have put it past you. It wasn't as though you were thrilled with the idea of me becoming a Priest." Ooh this is interesting.

"It wasn't so much that you were becoming a Priest. It was more that you would have to give up a lot. I still don't understand why you should have to. So many have tried and failed but still have a strong love and belief of God." She shrugged. "I blame it on the number of Nuns we have in the family."

"You must have had quite the debate." Obviously they had very different points of view on the subject.

"Not really. Just a long night of going through the pros and cons." He hands Hillary over to his Sister so he can drink his tea. "Siobhan's always been very supportive once she's sure you have all the information."

"So how did Pam take you not going home last night?" I'd always found it strange how possessive Pam was of my Priest. I guess no more than Godmother was, but at least she didn't live with him like Pam did.

"She took that better than the news I had resigned." So he's no more comfortable with Pam's attention that I am. "It wasn't until Siobhan asked her why it was an issue when a replacement Priest was probably already on the way that Pam calmed down." He looks at his Sister with amused disapproval. "Although I don't think you needed to ask why she was living on church property or point out that it might appear dodgy."

"You didn't have to listen to her going on all night. It wasn't until I pointed out that it was selfish to expect you not to help the ill that she even paused." She smiles mischievously. "I trust everyone is feeling better today."

I have no complaints. "Much. Turns out I just needed to get out of that house and pray."

"Pray?" His Sister got my joke, but the Father, not so much.

"I'm fairly certain both God and Jesus were mentioned last night and this morning." He's so adorable when he blushes.

I leave the siblings to house hunt while I serve my customers. This day was getting better and better. This was going to work. I could actually get who I wanted. It was frightening. I wasn't used to getting everything I wanted. I really didn't want to screw it up. At the moment we had Siobhan as a buffer. But she would eventually go home to Superman.

"You're over thinking." Damn Siobhan was stealthy. I hadn't even heard her walk up to me and she was wearing about five inch heels.

"Do you really think so?" I just didn't want him to wake up one morning and resent me for everything he had given up.

"I know so." This was the first time since I had met her that I had seen Siobhan look completely serious. "He wasn't happy being a Priest. He was lonely and he felt it was something he should do. I blame the Nuns in the family."

"He seemed to enjoy it when I first met him." Although he had mentioned being lonely at that first dinner when I ended up with a bloody nose and he a black eye. Maybe it had just appeared that he was enjoying doing the Lord's work at the time because I was so unhappy

Siobhan shook her head. "He enjoys helping people. You don't have to be celibate to do that."

"You don't think he maybe thinks that I'm someone who just needs his help?" I really wanted to be sure if I was putting my heart on the line again.

"I know that's what he tried to convince himself of in the beginning." She rolled her eyes. "But you don't describe people that you are just hoping to help as sexy leggy brunettes."

Ok, now it's my turn to blush. "He could have been talking about someone else."

"He wasn't." She smiles as though remembering something. "I knew it was you as soon as he spotted you in the church at the christening. I'm just glad you found each other." She turns and heads back to the table.

Wow! That was quite the insight. Now what was I going to do with it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Phone Call to Claire**

Normally when I don't know what to do I blindly blunder through life. This time I didn't want to do that. Because this time I had too much to lose. So I called Claire.

Claire, who even when her life is falling apart manages to look as though she is in perfect control. Inconvenient as it is, that she lives in Finland with someone who is much better for her than Martin. Not to mention better to be seen with out in public.

"What's wrong?" Ok, not the greeting I was hoping for, but probably the one I was expecting.

"Can't I just call you and nothing be wrong?" Great, now I was defensive.

"Sorry. It's just after the Priest joining us for dinner; I wasn't sure if it was back on and working out." Guess we weren't fooling anyone at dinner. Least of all our Sisters.

"Well, it is and it seems to be." Where did I begin? "He's giving up the church and going to be a counsellor." It sounded so strange saying it out loud.

"Wow. That's good though, right? It's what you wanted." She actually sounds happy for me.

"I'm not sure. What if he realises that he's making a mistake. I mean, his Sister says I make him happier than the church does. But what if that changes? I don't think I can say goodbye to him again."

"Why do you think it will change?" Claire had a point "He's risking a lot to be with you for just a booty call."

"When have you ever known my life to go the way I wanted it to?" Claire did have a point though.

"When you risk being hurt." I hated it when Claire's reasonable. "You're the bravest person I know. You risked everything to open that cafe of yours and it's successful. Granted sometimes when you take risks on the wrong people it has backfired. But I don't think your Priest is the wrong person."

"I keep expecting to wake up and find him gone and this all a beautiful dream." Just the thought was terrifying.

"What does his Sister have to say about all of this?" Of course my Sister would side with his.

"Just what I said before. That he's happy with me. Happier than he is with the church. That she knew it was me who had changed his devotion to the church when she saw us together at the christening." More or less.

"Then she gave you your answer. Does he seem miserable? Is there some reason you don't believe Siobhan?" This is why I had called Claire. She asked all of the right questions.

"No he seems happy. Excited even about the direction he's chosen. His Sister's direct but I doubt she's a liar. " Perhaps I should stop looking a gift horse in the mouth and enjoy being with someone who wanted to be with her despite her weird family and bad life decisions.

"So you just wanted confirmation that, that you're doing the right thing." Damn it, even over the phone she can see right through me. "What the two of you have is rare. Don't throw it away. You could end up with someone like Martin."

"How's the divorce going?" The sooner we removed Martin from the family the better.

"Slowly. He's dragging it out as long as he can. I have an excellent lawyer though. He doesn't stand a chance." That's our Claire. Determined as ever.

"I think it goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. You were always too good for Martin." Everyone is too good for Martin. "And I don't know how you put up with his creepy son."

"He's had moments when he was great, but they ended up being far and few between. You only saw him in the in between moments." She was probably right. Nobody could be that horrible all of the time.

"Things with Klare seems to be going well though." I don't think I ever saw Claire this happy with Martin. Happy looked good on her.

"It is. He loves me and he doesn't feel a need to put others down to prove it. I feel good about myself when I'm with him instead of feeling the need to apologize every time I'm out with him." I guess I never thought about how difficult it was for Claire being married to Martin. He had been her choice so I thought she wasn't bothered by how Martin treated people. I hoped he showed a side to Claire that none of the rest of us ever saw.

"I'm happy for you Claire." I really am. With any luck I could find happiness as well. "I'm going to see if I can interest my Priest in a date and maybe a sleepover."

"Good luck." And with that Claire was gone.

Well, both of our Sisters had faith in us working out. Perhaps it was time for me to have a little faith in myself. I texted a now familiar number. After everything we had gone through, we deserved a real first date.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Next Steps**

We were taking things slow. But not so slow that we never saw each other. I couldn't however go anywhere near the church without Pam glaring at me. Siobhan had found a fairly nice place for her Brother to rent which was just as well since we couldn't risk going back to the church property with Pam living there. And there are only so many times you can sneak in before that gets old.

The Priest thinks Pam is just lonely. I think there's more to it and judging by the looks Siobhan gives Pam (which are not always behind her back.) I think she agrees with me.

There's not much to more, thank God as its so awkward being in the same block as Pam, let alone the same building. Siobhan acts as a buffer but she's not amused by Pam's infatuation with her Brother. She said something about Pam having a thing for Priests. Apparently Pam has been living there for quite some time. Mine is not the first Priest she's lived with.

We've actually been on a date. No really. In a restaurant and everything. I thought it would be awkward. I mean, what would we talk about? I know what he does for a job. I've met one member of his family. He's met all of my family and is still interested. But it turns out we still had a lot to talk about.

It seems the foxes have stopped following him, but we're not sure for how long. He doesn't have to do much to catch up with to go back to being a councillor. And I have to find something else to scream out other than Father when we have sex, because now that he's not a Priest, it's just disturbing.

He suggested I call him by his name, but Deacon is just a couple of promotions up from Father. So we're still working on that.

Godmother found out that my Priest left the church, but I don't think she found out why. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that until she turns up on my doorstep waving a crucifix at me, I'm probably safe. I'm amazed we didn't hear her screaming from my place when she found out. Although I would have loved to have seen her face when she was told.

It appears she was told that he ran off with a trollop so I'm guessing Pam told her. No names appear to have been mentioned. I'm not sure if trollop is a step up or a step down from slut.

"Pam has a theory on who Deacon left the church for, but she has no proof." Siobhan is highly amused at Pam's reaction. "She's run into me a couple of times at the supermarket, which I'm not entirely sure has been accidental. She keeps trying to get me to tell her why he would leave her, I mean the church." This woman is so sarcastic, I love it.

"I've always thought she was a bit clingy." Which is putting it nicely.

"Shame she never noticed how he couldn't take his eyes off of you." That's good to know. "Or perhaps she did notice which is why she's so possessive. She needs to get a life of her own."

I sort of feel sorry for Pam. To be so lonely that you cling onto anyone who shows you the slightest bit of kindness. "So when is Superman coming home?" Not that I want Siobhan to leave. In fact, that was a day I was dreading despite Siobhan making herself scarce when we wanted some time alone together.

"Soon I hope." Siobhan pours herself another cup of Earl Grey. "I'm looking forward to him coming home, hopefully for more than a week or two. Having said that, I don't think we've spent more than a couple of weeks in each other's company since we got married. It certainly stops us from getting on each other's nerves or bored.

"Do you stay with your Brother every time he goes out of town?" It sounded like a lonely way to be married and yet it looked from the outside to work well for them. It was just that as much as I enjoyed Siobhan's company, I sort of wanted my former Priest for myself despite my concerns about our relationship.

"No. Only when my husband is away for more than a month." There's that knowing look of hers again. Seriously, does she read minds? "Deacon and I couldn't put up with each other if I turned up on his doorstep every couple of weeks."

"It sounds as though you both keep busy. How did you meet?" They didn't seem to travel in the same circles.

"At a fundraiser." Siobhan's expression leads me to believe more than funds were raised that night. "He was part of the silent auction that I won."

"Really?" Interesting. "How many people did you out bid to get him?" And what were the items on auction.

"Half the females in the room and several of the men. Quite a bit of money was raised that night. And later that night I raised something else." Damn this woman saw what she wanted and out bid everyone to get it.

"Sounds like quite the event. Love at first sight?" Not that I believe in love at first sight.

"More like lust at first sight. What about you? Love or lust at first sight with my Brother?" What exactly had her Brother told her about me?

"Confusion" Ok so now she looks confused. "I was sat beside him at a family dinner and had no idea he was a Priest. Then it was lust and ended up as love. Your Brother played hard to get for a while." My family probably didn't help. Especially Godmother. Definitely Godmother.

"I don't think he was playing hard to get." How does she manage to look wise and yet young and sexy at the same time? "It occurred to me some time ago that Deacon wasn't sure that the path he had chosen was the right one. That and he was only a Priest for the outfits."

"He does really like those purple robes." And so do I. The sound of someone at the door prevents me from admitting that out loud. Which is just as well considering the man himself is at the door. I had considered getting a key for him, but I don't want to rush things.

"Hey." When he kisses me, I swear my toes curl. "Did I make plans to have dinner with my Sister and forget?" He's so hot when he has that confused look on his face. Who am I kidding? He's hot with any look on his face.

"No, I just dropped in for a chat." Siobhan's timing is perfect as usual. "I'm heading off. Might see if I can get my husband on the phone and entice him to come home." She kisses her Brother on the cheek and heads out the door.

He chuckles to himself and shakes his head. "I'm sure the only reason he stays away for more than a month is to get her phone calls enticing him home."

"That convincing is she?" I can only imagine what those phone conversations contain.

"Enough to make me blush when I've unknowingly walked in the room during one of her phone calls." Wow, that's really saying something considering he doesn't even raise an eyebrow at some of Godmother's comments. God, he's giving me that intense look that I feel all the way to my loins. "Our dinner reservation is at eight."

That's two hours away. "So what are we going to do for the next hour and a half?"

Turns out scream m self horse in ecstasy.


	6. Chapter 6

Found Out

On reflection, I had known this day was coming. Things were going well. We had grown over confident. The Priest and I (Still don't know what to call him instead of Father); held hands when walking down the street. At best we struggled to keep our hands off of each other, but we made an effort to try when in public. But we had slipped up and someone had seen us, which led to being woken up at some ungodly hour on a Saturday morning.

The Priest groaned into my neck, which made me less likely to answer whoever was trying to beat down my door. We should have stayed at his place last night. "Who the hell would want to visit at this hour?" Yeah, we're not going anywhere when he's snuggling closer like that.

"No one I want to see." And for a moment we distracted each other and forgot about the knocking on the door. But then the shrieking started.

"Oh God. I know who that is." I just didn't know why she was on my doorstep. She never came to visit. Something I was grateful for. "Why the hell is she here?"

"Who?" He's adorable when he's confused, but I'm struggling to throw some clothes on so I can get rid of her. And he's just making me want to jump him.

"Can't you tell from the noise she's making?" I rushed to the door thinking he'd stay in the bedroom. Given the choice, I sure as hell would have. I threw open the front door to find as I suspected, Godmother on my doorstep. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"How could you? Haven't you slept with enough men to keep you satisfied? Or have you actually gone through all of the available men, so you had to go after one dedicated to the church?"

Oh crap. Who told her? "Says the woman who thinks sculptures of penises are art." It was one thing for me to refer to myself as a slut, but an entirely other thing for the woman who didn't even wait for my Mother to be buried before she hit on my Father to question my sex life.

"You couldn't leave him alone, could you?" Wow, that shade of red her face is turning does not look good on her. "He's a man of God. Is there no level you won't sink to?"

"I'm completely capable of making my own decisions." Guess he decided not to stay in bed. "What makes you think you have the right to verbally castrate the woman I love over a decision I made?" Wow he loves me and he's telling Godmother off. This is going to be a fantastic day.

"Father!" Well, at least we still had the element of surprise. "I didn't realise you were here." The expression on her face is priceless. I wish I had my phone on me to take a photo.

I turn around mainly to check that her expression wasn't due to a lack of clothes on my Priest. "I thought you were going to stay in bed." Good, he pulled some clothes on before getting out of bed.

"Well, she's rather loud. Besides it was my decision to leave the church. A decision I made by myself." He's looking at someone over my shoulder. It's not Godmother as she's standing beside me. Typical that she didn't even wait to be invited in. "Morning. We were going to brunch today, weren't we?"

"And here I get dinner theatre instead." Siobhan's leaning against the door frame looking highly amused. "Superman says to say hello." How does she always look like a Supermodel?

"Any news on when he's coming home?" I find it best in situations like this, to pretend Godmother doesn't exist. It's served me well in the past.

"Next week all going well." She's beaming I guess Christmas is coming early for someone. "Then I won't have to play third wheel for anyone."

"You knew about this?" And the surprises keep coming for Godmother. "How could you support this?"

"Easily." Siobhan eased her way inside passed Godmother. "A blind man could have seen he wasn't happy in the church. But he is happy with her." The expression on her face shows me that she's enjoying Godmother's discomfort as much as I am. "So since you're not a blind man, who told you?"

"Well, I don't know why that's important." Now she's gone white as a ghost, which is not attractive on her either. Clearly this was news told to her in confidence, but her need to control everyone and be the centre of attention had gotten the better of her. Hence the shrieking.

"So it was Pam." Siobhan's very observant. There's no way she missed that nervous twitch that Godmother's developed. "I think it's about time that woman moved out of the vestry."

"I didn't say it was Pam." Oh now she's flustered. I didn't realise she and Pam were so close.

"You didn't say it wasn't." Siobhan's quick and she looks pissed off. "You tell that woman that I'll have her ass on the street if she doesn't stop harassing my Brother." She nodded to the door. "You can find your way out. I imagine you have some sort of sexually explicit piece of art work to make."

With an indignant huff Godmother storms out the door. "Well, that's one way to start the day." I had much more fun plans that Godmother had interrupted. "So I guess you're heading to brunch then."

"No. We didn't make any plans." My Priest smiles sweetly at me before turning to his Sister. "How did you know she'd be here?"

"I ran into Pam at the grocery store and she looked way too proud of herself. I guessed she was causing trouble, so I thought I'd better check and see if I was right." She shook her head. "She obviously watches from the vestry to see when I get to the 24 hour supermarket across the road. There's no other way she could always be in the store at the same time as me."

"Lovely. You have your own personal stalker." I never liked that woman. She was way too clingy for my liking.

"It's not me she's obsessing over. I think she was hoping to use me to get to Deacon." Siobhan does not look impressed. "One phone call will sort Pam out."

"Well before you do anything, why don't we all go for brunch?" That's my Priest, always finding a silver lining. Or maybe he's just trying to stop his pissed off Sister from having Pam tossed to the curb.

"I think it still counts as breakfast at this hour." I was hoping to go back to bed, but the mood was broken thanks to Godmother. "I'll start the coffee."

"Come on. Come and have breakfast with us. You can catch us up on what is going on with Superman." Ever the optimist, my Priest.

"Sidetracking me won't stop me dealing with your Pam problem Deacon." Siobhan is determined if nothing else. "And I drink tea not coffee." But she's also reasonable.

"Family Breakfast coming up." Just well we did some grocery shopping yesterday. Bugger! That's how Pam knew. She must have seen us at the store when we did the shopping. I should have known getting frisky in the frozen foods isle was a bad idea.

"I'll talk to Pam." Yeah that's going to solve everything. "But first I feel like pancakes." Ever the gentleman holding out a chair for his Sister.

"You make sure you sort this out Deacon. You've got a good thing going here. Don't let anyone screw that up for you." The way Siobhan sits in the chair her Brother is holding out for her, it's like having royalty visiting. I'm actually fighting the urge to curtsy.

"I promise. Now do you want Earl Grey or English Breakfast?" He's trying to pacify his Sister. Judging by the look on her face, she's not going to just forget Pam's part in this morning's drama.

Once thing's for sure. I wouldn't want to be in Pam's shoes right now.


End file.
